Barnett, Kristine

Recounts the experiences of Kristine Barnett and her autistic son, Jacob, in which, against the advice of developmental specialist, she pulled Jacob out of special ed and began to work with Jacob herself focusing on what he could do rather than what he couldn't, as they had done in special ed.

Kristine Barnett's son, Jake, has an incredibly high IQ. He's working on an original theory in astrophysics that may someday put him in line for a Nobel prize. Jake's story is remarkable not just because of his achievements but because he was diagnosed with Autism at age two. Against the experts' advice, Kristine pulled her son out of special education classes and began preparing him for mainstream kindergarten on her own. She focused on what he could do, not on what he couldn't, and the results were transformative.

The mother of an autistic child who was eventually recognized as a genius recounts her rejection of conventional advice from developmental experts and shares the strategies she utilized for tapping her son's potential.